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A sense of ‘Wonder’

Let me give some backdrop here. I couldn’t even watch Captain America initially( though it was amazing!)because I think the First World War is one of the most overused and over exploited backdrops anywhere.

However, here I was spell bound. Besides the obvious (Swash buckling Gal Gadot and the gorgeous Chris Pine) a little girl in me who slept many many years ago; sat up and rubbed her eyes because she couldn’t believe that she finally had an identifiable character on screen.

I have to admit I went with as little hope as possible because let’s face it, up until very recently female protagonists didn’t exactly set box office on fire.

I was thrown back to the days of Xena the Warrior Princess when I would watch, in awe of the gorgeous warrior who was just as badass and confident and brilliantly talented as the best of men. Wonder Woman finally invoked in me that long lost sense of awe, of power. What power you say?That power when you see an identifiable character fight onscreen . That sense of confidence that you vicariously enjoy when she thrashes people around.

That which is taken for granted by boys when they watch their superheros on screen.

And then there was Gabrielle! Sweet Sweet Gabrielle who was the epitome of innocence , wide eyed wonder , kindness and a fragility that I could very strongly relate to too.

Very confusing.

Did that mean I have to be either one or the other?And did the world have a place for Xena was the question above all.

And then comes Wonder Woman.An exquisite combination of Xena and Gabrielle.

She just walked on screen and slayed. She showed that you can be badass and fragile at the same time, and that does not make you any less badass. She had the fierceness of Xena and the child-like naivete and nurturing femininity of Gabrielle.

As a child I was scared to relate to Xena, yes scared. Because what would the world think of a girl who fought! Who was bold and loud and skilled af ! Who didn’t sit a certain way, conform in a certain way, nod yes in a certain way, had a million opinions any given time, most importantly, had a physique that was far from dainty and frail white rose that was Gabrielle or any onscreen female at the time!!! But oh Gabrielle is so weak! Always needing Xena to protect her!

With a childhood spent wondering who exactly I was finally behind me, here and now as I watched Wonder Woman the same question rose up again but this time, gratefully, with answers.

A definition of my tribe, my kind of people. And it was sweet af . What an age to be a woman! Am I a feminist? Hell ya! I live in a country where cows get more protection than women but that’s for another debate.

I used to think, what is this obsession with superheroes! I mean who cares about such characters any way? Aren’t they just fictitious beings propogating unrealistic Utopian philosophies in an increasingly disillusioned generation???

In my family we all have our superhero, ie, the superhero we thought we could most relate to ( yes we are a bunch of grown adults who assign ourselves superheros and are proud of it) .It could be anyone. Characters from DC to Marvel but somehow X-men are a different entity( FyI , Jean Grey there).

I would settle for Hulk you see, because that’s the most I could find for someone to relate to!

But all that changed with Wonder Woman.

Humanity may not deserve you Wonder Woman but we sure as hell need you .